Dissertation_Dr Faisal Almubarak

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F. Piecemeal Development: Land Subdivisions in the 1970s
Arar was yet to experience the most dramatic growth in its forty year old history.
According to a survey by Doxiadis Associates in 1973, 2,382 households lived in houses
comprising four major types of structures: 738 concrete houses, 532 mud units, 402 units
of the biout sha'abiyah type (i.e. built of cement bricks and organized around a
courtyard), and shantytowns. Like many Saudi cities, Arar was to benefit from the
generous allocation in the modernization of the national economy by the central
government, especially the housing programs. Being the major urban center and the capital
of the Northern Province, one of the Kingdom's five provinces, Arar's development was
only a matter of time.
Although Arar's municipality paid respect to the general framework of Doxiadis
Master Plan of 1974, the detailed program of land uses and circulation space were not
adhered to and their was not compatible growth between the various land uses, community
space and recreation as detailed in the Plan. Residential development deviated from the
specified program, mainly due to the very nature of the government land distribution
program which enabled many residents to obtain land through bureaucratic rationing rather
than through the market place. It was also partially due to the uncoordinated allocation of
resources, funds and land, to the various public and social services in an organized
fashion. 39
In the wake of the dramatically improved economic environment in the 1970s, land
speculation flared as large sums of state funds were channeled into the physical
environment. Residential land development proceeded in the form of (1) legal land
subdivisions authorized by the municipality and (2) squatter settlements at the outskirts,
especially on government land. Moreover, the various government agencies struggled to
solicit funds from the central state for their projects while locally they competed to seize
whatever land that fulfilled their needs. Residents sought land through the private market
as well as through the free land distribution programs to take advantage of the REDFs
convenient loans which enabled many citizens the access to the formal housing market.
Upon its transfer to private ownership, land was platted into smaller lots for market
speculation. Municipally sanctioned subdivisions were guaranteed government utilities
(water, electricity and telephone) and public services such as schools, health clinics,